Bread toasters of the type referred to which have no crumb collecting tray--hereinafter briefly referred to as crumb tray--are generally known in the art. Thus, for example, DE-AS 1,753,119 describes a bread toaster in which the article to be toasted, placed upright on a toast rack, can be moved into a toasting chamber which is enclosed by the toaster housing and accommodates an electric heating unit by means of a carriage which is capable of being lowered and raised. In this arrangement, the carriage can be moved to its lowermost position (toasting position) against the force of a spring by means of a handle, in which position the heating unit is energized and the carriage remains automatically locked in place for the duration of the toasting cycle. The duration of the toasting cycle can be controlled by a variety of mechanical devices (cf., for example, DE-OS 2,902,212) or, alternatively, b measuring the degree of browning of the article being toasted (cf. DE-PS 3,709,571). The toasting cycle is completed by the carriage being unlocked, thus enabling it to return to its uppermost position (receiving position) under the action of the spring, whereby the heating unit is again disconnected from its electrical supply.
A bread toaster of the type referred to with a crumb collecting tray is known, for example, from GB-2,117,627 A. In the bread toaster described in this specification, the shallow crumb tray arranged above the toaster base can be slid into the housing of the bread toaster and removed therefrom for emptying or cleaning either from the end wall or, alternatively, from a side wall thereof. To secure the crumb tray in its end position when inserted, sliding surfaces are provided within the housing of the bread toaster to receive the longitudinal sides of the substantially rectangular crumb tray, in addition to elastic locking projections provided on one of its two narrow sides which engage into corresponding slots formed in the housing of the bread toaster when the crumb tray is in its end position.
While the crumb tray is thereby secured against inadvertent sliding out of the housing of the bread toaster, this arrangement allows operation of the bread toaster also when the crumb tray is not inserted. Irrespective of whether the crumb tray is insertable from one of the two narrow sides or one of the two longitudinal sides of the bread toaster, the risk of electrical shock is increased in the known bread toaster when used without the crumb tray inserted.
The reason for this is that with the crumb tray removed, access to current-carrying parts is also possible from the underside of the housing, in addition to the fact that in such bread toasters access to non-insulated electric components from the upper side of the housing through the receiving slots is only avoidable to a limited degree. Even if the risk of touching live parts can be reduced by the provision of grids on the underside intermediate the toasting chamber and the crumb tray, with the grids being spaced such as to allow the crumbs to fall through but not the fingers to reach through, protection against electrical hazards is not ensured, especially for children and in particular if they handle tools such as screw drivers or the like.
Further, it is to be considered that heat may be dissipated through the additional opening in the bottom area of the bread toaster when in operation. In combination with the flow ratios within the toasting chamber which are likewise altered thereby, this affects the toasting result which is consequently no longer adjustable and predictable. Moreover, the emitted heat may damage or even deform plastic parts in the bottom area of the bread toaster as well as the surface on which the toaster stands.
In electric bread toasters having a what is referred to as an integrated cooling system in which the air cooling the side walls of the bread toaster is supplied to the toasting chamber (cf. DE-OS 3,516,553), the absence of a crumb tray further significantly impairs the path of the cooling air stream and the cooling effect as a whole due to the large additional opening produced at the bottom of the housing, which may result in local overheating of housing parts.